Egypt steps up action as threat of water scarcity looms

Egypt is advancing a number of projects to address the water scarcity problem, at a time that tensions between Cairo and Addis Ababa are on the rise over the failure to reach an agreement on the operation and filling of Ethiopia’s controversial dam on the Blue Nile.
This picture shows an aerial view of the Nile River passing by the countryside north (bottom) of the southern city of Qena, Egypt, April 10, 2021.
This picture shows an aerial view of the Nile River passing by the countryside north (bottom) of the southern city of Qena, Egypt, April 10, 2021. - Khaled Desouki/AFP via Getty Images
Al Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East
Rasha Mahmoud
@R_ma7moud200

Egypt has started to take actions at various levels to address the water scarcity problem the country is facing. 

In an interview with TeN TV June 5, Mohamed Ghanem, spokesman for the Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources, said that the Egyptian state is facing major challenges in the water sector, given the limited water resources that do not exceed 55 billion cubic meters — consisting of Egypt’s share of the Nile water, in addition to a small amount of rainwater and groundwater. He explained that Egypt’s needs amount to 114 billion cubic meters, warning that Egypt suffers from water scarcity that requires major measures to overcome the challenges.

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